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Rachel Bilson says she lost a job after making comments about sex on a podcast

“A single mom, a woman, lost a job because they were being candid and honest. And the subject was sex,” she said on her podcast. 
/ Source: TODAY

Rachel Bilson revealed that she lost a job after making “candid and honest” comments about her sex life. 

On May 3, the 41-year-old actor stopped by the “Women On Top” podcast and discussed her favorite and least favorite sex positions. 

“I want to be f—ing manhandled,” she shared on the podcast. 

Rachel Bilson
Rachel Bilson attends the “Accused” screening during SCAD TVFEST 2023 on Feb. 09, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Jason Kempin / Getty Images for SCAD

She also said, “I’ve learned that if you want to have an orgasm during sex, you have to be on top.”

Two weeks later, Bilson announced on her podcast, “Broad Ideas,” that an unknown brand she was supposed to work with cut ties after learning about her remarks. 

“It’s been an interesting week, guys,” she said near the end of her May 15 episode. “This is the first time it’s ever happened to me in my professional life that I lost a job this week because of things that were said and then spun in the press and clickbait headlines and whatnot.”  

The “Hart of Dixie” star continued, “A job got taken away from me because I was speaking candidly and openly about sex in a humorous way on our friend’s podcast.”

She further expressed how surprised she was that the company, which she did not name, decided to end their collaboration. 

“Now, in this day and age, I’m baffled,” she said. “A single mom, a woman, lost a job because they were being candid and honest. And the subject was sex.”

The actor does not shy away from conversations about intimacy. She spoke about growing up in a home where her mom frequently talked about sex “in a sacred way.” 

Bilson pointed out that multiple headlines included her “manhandled” quote, which could have upset the brand. 

“First of all, I said it in a joking manner in the interview,” she explained. “Basically, it’s like, ‘Okay give control or take control in the bedroom, whatever.’”

But the brand did not listen to her explanation, Bilson said. 

“Because that specific line was pulled and it made it sound a certain way, I didn’t even have a chance to defend myself. I didn’t have a chance to speak about it,” she shared. 

Bilson wanted to address the situation on her podcast because she said missing out on a job opportunity as a single mom is a big deal. 

“I need these jobs!” she said. “Everything counts. I provide a lot for my family and my daughter and regardless of anything else, it all matters.”

Bilson shares 8-year-old daughter Briar Rose with ex-fiancé Hayden Christensen. 

Although Bilson initially told co-host and friend Olivia Allen that she did not know a lot of information about the brand, she later suggested the company was “conservative.”

“I think it was a conservative brand. When it came to light, (they) said they weren’t comfortable with that headline and that if people keep Googling, they’ll see the other things that I’ve commented on, which was orgasms.” In March, Bilson revealed on her podcast that she had her first orgasm when she was 38. 

She recalled being upset when she found out she lost the job. 

“I feel like it’s discrimination. I was floored. I cried,” she said. 

Looking back at her May 3 comments, she wondered if her choice of language or the topic played a bigger role in her fallout with the brand. 

Still, she doesn’t seem to regret sharing her opinion on the “Women On Top” podcast. 

“I haven’t said anything inappropriate,” she said. “If I could go back now, knowing that I lost a job, maybe I would say it differently. But I still wouldn’t not say it.”

While she is disappointed she lost the job, she is also concerned about a “stigma” being attached to women who speak publicly about sex.

“We want to be accessible and relatable because we’re human,” she concluded. “I feel shamed by this company.”